I remember the anecdote. However the student's reasoning makes it
apparent that since Hell isn't freezing over then it must be endothermic.

Please don't take offense at this. I wouldn't want all Hell to break
loose....

;-> Ed

Bob Stevens wrote:

> "theyre usually cheap at your local junkyard and maybe even cheaper with a
> five finger discount and big pockets.."
> chris
>
> ...it's your fault Chris...you reminded me that there may be vanagon
> access
> to H, E, double-hockey-sticks:
>
> THERMODYNAMICS OF HELL
>
> The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington
> chemistry midterm. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the
> professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of
> course,
> why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.
>
> Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic
> (absorbs heat)?
>
> Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law, gas
> cools off when it expands and heats up when it is compressed) or some
> variant.
>
> One student, however, wrote the following:
>
> First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we
> need
> to know the rate that souls are moving into Hell and the rate they are
> leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to
> Hell, it
> will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are
> entering Hell, lets look at the different religions that exist in the
> world
> today. Some of these religions state that if you are not a member of their
> religion, you will go to Hell. Since there are more than one of these
> religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can
> project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are,
> we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially.
>
> Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because
> Boyle's Law
> states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the
> same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.
>
> This gives two possibilities:
>
> 1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls
> enter
> Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until
> all Hell
> breaks loose.
>
> 2. Of course, if Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of
> souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell
> freezes over.
>
> So which is it?
>
> If we accept the postulate given to me by Ms. Teresa Banyan during my
> Freshman year, "...that it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with
> you." and take into account the fact that I still have not succeeded in
> having sexual relations with her, then, #2 cannot be true, and thus I am
> sure that Hell is exothermic and will not freeze.
>
> The student received the only "A" given.
>
> ...and my joy in sharing runneth over,
> Bob
>
> Happy is he who bears a god within.
> -- Louis Pasteur
> http://communities.msn.com/BobsPhotoShare
>
>
>
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